


Under the Mistletoe

by zennie



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Sanvers - Freeform, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 02:43:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13157574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zennie/pseuds/zennie
Summary: Alex invites Maggie to come to Christmas in Midvale. Tropes & fluff.Canon up to mid 2x08. Maggie does not come over with pizza and beer.Thanks to Dani for putting together a kick-ass Sanvers Secret Santa and Mikaela for letting me be their gift-giver.





	Under the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anddirtyrain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anddirtyrain/gifts).



> I think I've forgotten how to write fluff cuz ugh I struggled with this.

The cue ball struck the eight, sending it straight into the corner pocket, and Maggie gave a howl of protest. “How did you even sink that one?”

Alex smirked and grabbed the twenty off the table. “Physics. Physics and practice.”

“I practice.”

“Apparently not enough.”

“I guess I should quit while I’m only out a few bucks.” Maggie swiped her beer bottle and headed for a booth, and Alex followed.

Maggie had been moody the last week or so, and Alex was afraid to ask in case the cause was issues with a new girlfriend. They had recovered their equilibrium as friends after the disastrous kiss and subsequent fallout, but Alex was pretty sure if Maggie started seeing anyone, all bets would be off. Alex was glad they had preserved their friendship, but the weight of wanting more haunted her and colored the time they spent together.

Friendship was all Maggie offered, so Alex breathed around the ache that enveloped her heart every time she saw Maggie and tried to be a good friend.

As she slid into the booth, Alex noticed Maggie watching her, her lips curled into a soft smile, a wistful look in her eyes. “You okay?” Alex asked.

“Yeah. Just been a long week. Holidays bring out the weirdos.”

“Yeah,” Alex agreed, thinking about the latest spate of cases, including a metahuman who had been masquerading as a helper elf for a mall Santa. She shook her head in sympathy, knowing the NCPD caught a lot more cases than the DEO knew about. “Are you taking time off for the holidays?”

Maggie shrugged. “A couple of days, just Christmas Eve and Christmas.”

“You aren’t going home?” Maggie didn’t talk about her family much, but Alex assumed she would go see them at some point.

“Nah, I only have a couple of days and Nebraska is a trek.”

“So what are you doing for Christmas?”

“What I always do, Danvers. Order Chinese food and binge-watch some TV show I haven’t had time to watch. I have Orphan Black and The Fall to get caught up on.”

“Seriously?” Maggie had worked Thanksgiving too, and something about Maggie spending all of her holidays alone didn’t sit right with Alex. “Look, mom guilted me into coming down to Midvale for Christmas. Why don’t you join me?”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, panic jolted her guts at the idea of spending two days in Maggie’s company trying, desperately, to keep up the façade that they were only friends.

“Nah, you should spend time with your family. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

Alex’s panic receded as the expression on Maggie’s face registered. Moody and introspective, the look she got when something deep was bothering her, something she couldn’t talk about.

“You wouldn’t be intruding. Kara is driving down with Winn and James for Christmas dinner; mom asked me to come down a day early to help her get ready. Hell, if anything, she’d put you to work. You probably wouldn’t burn half the pies.”

“Not so great with the baking, huh?”

Alex rolled her eyes. “Or cooking or anything to do with the kitchen, really. It’s not my forte.” A spark lit Maggie’s soulful dark eyes as she grinned, and Alex persisted. “I get up at dawn and take my bike. It’s a beautiful ride up the coast and there’s this little diner on the way that makes the best steak and eggs you’ve ever had in your life.”

“That’s a pretty big claim.”

“Assuming, of course, your Triumph can keep up with my Ducati.”

“Oh, that’s how you are going to play it?”

“Not my fault I have a bike made for speed and you have a bike made for, um….”

“It’s a classic.” A note of playful warning crept into Maggie’s voice as her smile widened and her dimples made an appearance. The sight warmed Alex’s heart even as it stabbed through her gut.

“So you in, Sawyer?”

“Only if you are buying breakfast.”

“Deal.”

***  
The morning was beautiful, the sun dappling between the trees as they sped around curves and opened up on the straightaways. Alex lead, but Maggie stayed in perfect formation behind her. Usually, Alex used the time to prepare herself, mentally, for spending time with her mom. She knew Eliza loved her, but that love was always expressed in the constant push for her to be more, to be better.

But with Maggie roaring down the road with her, her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts, like how happy she was Maggie was coming, even though it was going to be an exquisite torture to spend two full days of downtime together.

Noticing her preoccupation, Maggie opened up the throttle and blew past her, and Alex had to gun it to regain the lead. She mimed blowing a kiss as she passed and laughed when Maggie flipped her off.

A few minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of the diner, turning off her bike and sweeping off her helmet. Maggie did the same, swinging off her bike and shaking her head to restore the soft waves around her face. The morning sun brought out mahogany shades in her hair and sparkled in her eyes as Maggie grinned. A familiar pang of longing swept through Alex as she stared, captivated.

Maggie took in the ocean and waves cresting against the rocks, so close a fine mist reached where they stood. “You weren’t kidding. This is beautiful.”

“Yeah, it is,” Alex agreed, her gaze still fixed on Maggie. All she wanted to do was press Maggie back against her bike and capture those soft lips with her own. To run her fingers through Maggie’s hair and fix the curls. To claim her as her own.

Jesus, she had it bad. Still.

Maggie caught her eyes, an uncertain half-smile gracing her face. “You okay there, Danvers?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Just a little spacy from the drive. I guess I need more coffee.”

A bell on the door jangled as they stepped in and the smell of eggs and bacon enveloped them. “This breakfast better be worth getting up at 6 AM on my day off.”

Alex shrugged off her jacket and hung it up before sliding into the booth, and Maggie did as well. The simple black v-neck fit her like a glove and the muscles in her arms flexed as she reached for the menu. If Alex had any doubts about being gay, the images of stripping Maggie’s t-shirt and tasting those muscles with her tongue certainly disabused her of that notion.

Oblivious to Alex’s decidedly R-rated musing, Maggie flipped through the menu. “So steak and eggs, huh?”

The waitress interrupted them before Alex could answer, filling their coffee cups and throwing a handful of creamers on the table. Maggie raised a finger and ordered before she could leave, and Alex did the same. Seeing Alex’s raised eyebrow, Maggie laughed. “Okay, you caught me. I’m starved. Missed dinner last night so I could finish up paperwork.” After a second’s pause, she added, “You sure you’re okay?”

Alex was pretty sure telling Maggie that she was beautiful and that she wanted to do incredibly dirty things with her on a cracked diner table was not the kind of thing she should say out loud to a friend. Instead, she sighed and took a sip of her coffee. “Yeah, it’s just…”

Maggie dipped her head to catch Alex’s eyes. “What?”

“It’s just hard to spend time with my mom, you know? I know she means well, but she’s so critical. Things have gotten… better, over the last year or so, but sometimes, she slips and, I dunno, I just hate feeling like I’m not enough.”

Blinking, Alex gazed out over the parking lot and wished for the day when she would be something besides second best. The favorite instead of the disappointment. The girlfriend instead of the friend.

The warmth of Maggie’s hand covering hers brought her attention back. “You remember when you told me how your life was about being perfect?” Alex nodded, too spun by Maggie’s touch to do anything else. Maggie’s eyes were soft, understanding, just like they were when Alex sputtered through trying to admit that she might be gay, and she let that ground her. “Sounds like all that perfection comes with a price.”

Alex sighed. “Yeah, kinda. I just want her to be proud of me and see everything I’ve accomplished, not all the things I haven’t.”

“Hey.” Her voice quiet yet firm, Maggie commanded all of Alex’s attention. “You, Alex, you are… amazing. I’m sure your mom sees that.” Her fingers curled under Alex’s and squeezed, and Alex felt the air leave her lungs in a rush.

“Thanks. I...” Maggie’s thumb was rubbing over her knuckles and it was incredibly distracting, as was the desire to ask, if I’m so amazing, why don’t you see it? Alex appreciated how much Maggie supported her, how much she helped, but god, why didn’t she want her?

A plate thumped down in front of her, so hard a couple of potatoes bounced off. Maggie’s food was similarly manhandled, and they shared a smile as Maggie released her hand. The intimate mood broken, Alex breathed in slowly and straightened her shoulders as she picked up her silverware. If nothing else, Maggie would be a buffer between her and her mother, and a potent distraction to boot.

“Two strikes, Danvers. Up at six and food lobbed at me like a grenade.”

“Just eat your breakfast, Sawyer. You can apologize for bad-mouthing my judgement after.”

Maggie devoured her food so fast Alex wasn’t sure she even tasted it. Only half-finished with her breakfast, Alex had flashbacks to Kara as Maggie eyed her steak. “Don’t even think about it.”

“I’m full.” Maggie settled in the seat and rested her arm along the back. “And you were right, that was good.”

“Worth the early morning?”

“Well, that, the beautiful drive and the excellent company kinda make up for it.”

“Kinda?” Alex stabbed at her with her fork. “Just for that, I’m not going to order you a cinnamon roll for dessert.”

Maggie laughed and threw up her hands in defeat. “Okay, okay, it’s definitely worth it.” It had been too long since Maggie had laughed like that in Alex’s company, her smile so wide her eyes were squeezed closed. Alex didn’t realize she had missed it until now. “Now where’s my cinnamon roll?”

Alex took a slow sip of her coffee, an eyebrow raised. “I thought you were full.”

“There’s always room for a cinnamon roll.”

Chucking, Alex shook her head and signaled to the waitress. “There’s a cops and donuts joke in there somewhere.”

“That’s a tired cliche. And we were talking about cinnamon rolls, not donuts.”

“There’s a difference?”

Properly offended, Maggie went off, outlining the many differences between pastries, her hands punctuating each point, and Alex leaned back and enjoyed the sight.

Coffee cups were refilled, and they shared a gooey cinnamon roll fresh from the oven and debated the best pastry shops in National City and the relative merits of their motorcycles. Even though it ached her heart that they were only friends, in moments like this, Alex knew keeping Maggie in her life was worth the sacrifice.

 

  
***

“Girls!” Eliza came hurrying out of the house, scrubbing the apron she was wearing. “Sorry, I thought you’d be later so I got started on some baking.” She wrapped Alex in a tight hug. “So good to see you. Thanks for coming up a day early, sweetie.”

Alex returned the hug with less enthusiasm, bracing when Eliza leaned back to get a good look at her. “You look good.” When nothing critical came after, Alex exhaled and relaxed marginally.

Maggie hung back and fussed with getting her duffel out of her saddlebags. Finally, she turned, almost shy as she greeted Eliza. “Dr. Danvers, thanks for letting me join you for Christmas.”

“Of course, dear. You are always welcome. And call me Eliza.” Alex had to stifle a chuckle when Maggie’s eyes bugged out as Eliza gave her a warm hug. “I’m so glad to meet you officially.”

“We’ve met?” Her awkwardness turned to full-fledged panic, and Maggie fixed her terrified gaze on Alex over Eliza’s shoulder.

Eliza held her at arm’s length and gave her the same critical assessment she had given Alex. “I saw you briefly when you were being wheeled into the DEO, so it was more of a drive-by.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t…”

“You had just been shot, dear, so I don’t expect you to remember the faces whizzing by. I hope you’ve recovered.”

“Oh, yeah. Alex patched me up pretty well.”

Eliza locked arms with Maggie and steered her toward the house, leaving Alex to grab her bag from her bike and follow. “Well, if Alex ever wanted to, she could take the boards and practice medicine, so that’s not a surprise.”

Eliza brought coffee, tea, and coffee cake while they settled in on the couch, and Maggie’s dark eyes darted all around the room. Alex watched as they flitted from one photograph to another before she leaned in and whispered, “You can examine them more closely if you want, Detective.”

Caught, Maggie slid a hand through her hair and tucked it behind her ear. “I’m a detective, Agent Danvers, I detect.”

“What are you girls whispering about?”

“Oh, Maggie’s just checking out the family pictures.”

Eliza laughed softly as the blush crept higher on Maggie’s cheeks. “I’ll break out the photo albums later,” she promised.

“Mom!”

They made small talk about the drive and the plan for tomorrow, and Alex could tell her mom was already falling under Maggie’s spell. When she wasn’t being a smartass, Maggie could be very charming.

It occurred to her that Maggie just fit. She was perfect, her toughness tempered by her kindness and compassion, and Alex could feel herself falling that much deeper, seeing Maggie here in her childhood home and interacting with her mom. This was the scene Alex had imagined the few times she had tried to bring a guy she was dating home to visit, and she wished it was reality.

She realized she had lost track of the conversation as Maggie turned to her with a wide, dimpled smile.

“I said, why don’t you take Maggie for a walk on the beach to stretch your legs before we get started with the pies?”

***

“Nice trophy.” They had returned to the house after a long, quiet walk and Maggie was finally poking around the living room. She was standing in front of the fireplace, taking in family pictures and knickknacks.

Alex scoffed. “I came in second.”

“I bet that didn’t happen very often.”

“It didn’t,” Eliza interjected from the doorway, her voice warm with pride. “We had to pack up most of her first-place trophies because they wouldn’t fit on the mantle. But that was Alex’s very first surfing competition and she beat kids twice her age.”

Alex ducked her head, feeling her cheeks heat up under the scrutiny of Maggie’s approving gaze. Sometimes, when Maggie looked at her like that, she almost forgot they weren’t dating. In her admittedly limited experience, that wasn’t how friends looked at each other.

“You know, you don’t have to be shy in front of me.” Her mom’s voice cut through the haze Alex had fallen into. Eliza pointed above their heads, and Alex glanced up, only to freeze in abject horror at the sprig of green. “Go on. It’s tradition after all.”

“Mom…” Alex protested as she wished for a chasm to open up under her feet and swallow her whole.

Maggie’s fingers ghosted up Alex’s arms to rest on her shoulders as she stepped closer. The look in Maggie’s eyes was inscrutable as she tilted her head to the side and gazed up at the mistletoe above their heads. “Supposedly, it’s bad luck,” she muttered, almost apologetically, raising up on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to Alex’s.

It was barely a kiss, just a brief peck, but Alex’s brain short-circuited nonetheless. Maggie’s fingers seared through her t-shirt and the brush of Maggie’s lips sent her blood thundering through her veins.

Alex didn’t even notice her eyes had shut until they fluttered open to see Maggie smiling up at her.

“Now why don’t you two go and freshen up and we’ll have lunch and start baking. I put your bags upstairs.”

Eliza’s voice brought Alex back to the realization that her mom was still standing there. “Yeah, yeah, that’s a good idea. Come on,” she said, leading Maggie toward the stairs. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay. You can’t argue with tradition.”

“Apparently not.” Alex threw open the door to her and Kara’s bedroom and ushered Maggie in. “Ignore the N’Sync posters. They’re Kara’s.” Maggie smirked but kept her smartass comment to herself.

“Huh.” Alex looked around the room, but didn’t see their bags. Raising her voice, she called downstairs, “Mom, where’s our stuff?”

“In the guest bedroom.”

“In the…” Alex hurried down the hall, Maggie on her heels. She flung open the door to find both their bags sitting at the foot of the queen bed. “Oh no. No. No. No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“My mom.”

“What?”

“She put us in the guest bedroom.”

“Yeah?”

Alex sank down on the bed and rested her head in her hand. She sucked in a lungful of air before answering. “She thinks we’re dating.” Alex smacked the mattress, disappointed it didn’t make more of a sound. “Damn it, I knew she was being too nice.” Alex massaged her forehead and sighed. “Damn.” Her mom was going to think Alex deliberately mislead her instead of this being a huge misunderstanding.

The mattress sank under her as Maggie settled beside her on the bed. “Why would she think we’re dating?”

“Remember when I told you I told my mom?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it was less like I told her and more like she guessed.” Alex risked a glance at Maggie through her fingers, wondering how pathetic the next bit was going to sound. “Apparently, I talked about you. A lot.” Maggie looked thoughtful rather than pissed, at least. Thank god for small favors. “We don’t talk much about personal stuff, so when I told her I was bringing you home, she must have assumed…”

“Hence the guest room? And the almost-gleeful way she encouraged us to kiss under the mistletoe?”

“Oh god.” Alex squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head at the reminder. “I have to go tell her. This is going to suck.”  
  
“She won’t understand?”

“Oh, she’ll say all the right things, I’m sure. She’ll try to hide the disappointment and be nice while you’re here and then let me have it next time we talk on the phone.”

“So don’t tell her,” Maggie said with a shrug.

“What?”

“Don’t tell her. You said on the drive up how stressful this trip was for you. Why add to it?”

“We would have to pretend we’re dating.”

“Not really. We haven’t been pretending so far, and she’s none the wiser. So obviously us being ourselves is enough.” Maggie shrugged again, but her dark eyes were focused on a spot on the carpet.

Alex wanted to ask what it meant that their normal interactions seemed like dating, but now didn’t seem like the time. “Maggie, that’s not fair. It would put you in an awkward position just so I can avoid feeling like a disappointment. I can’t let you do that.”

“You know, I know a little something about parental disappointment. Remember when…” Maggie inhaled sharply, and Alex was surprised to see tears glinting in her eyes. “Remember when I told you about coming out to my parents? I lied. A girl I liked at school, I kind of told her I liked her and well, she told her parents and they called my parents.”

“Oh, Maggie, I’m sorry.” Given the stricken look on Maggie’s face, Alex was almost afraid to ask the next question. “What happened?”

Maggie’s chin quivered and she bit her lower lip. Alex grabbed her hand and squeezed, and Maggie returned the pressure. “They kicked me out and I had to live with an aunt for three years. I was fourteen.”

“Jesus.” Anger roared in Alex’s ears, and her jaw clenched as she imagined what she would say, what she would do, if she ever met Maggie’s parents. It didn’t seem right to feel such rage at people she had never met.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” Maggie raised her head, and Alex saw that toughness she admired in the resolute expression on her face. She was so brave, so brave and beautiful, and all Alex wanted to do was tell her so. “I only told you because I want you to understand why I’m okay if you don’t want to tell your mom. I understand trying to please parents who are never satisfied. And I get not wanting to rock the boat.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make this trip uncomfortable for you.”

A half-smirk twisted Maggie’s lips and a twinkle appeared in her eyes. “You think this is the first time I pretended to be someone’s girlfriends for a holiday meal?”

“You are so telling me that story later.”

“Deal.”

***

Maggie was right. She and Alex didn’t act any different around her mom, but Eliza beamed every time they were in the same space and at every sarcastic “Agent” or “Detective.” And Alex had been right too; Maggie was much better at baking than she was. A lot better.

“You saved Christmas,” Alex teased. They had finally escaped to the small deck outside of Alex’s childhood bedroom to gaze at the stars. “All the pies are perfect. Mom is going to make you come back every year.”

Laughing, Maggie mock-saluted Alex with her glass of scotch and took a sip. “It’s called attention to detail, Danvers. You should try it.”

“I’m very detailed when I’m working the lab. It’s just in the kitchen, I suck.”

“No, you don’t.” Maggie leaned back against the rail, so close Alex could feel her warmth against her side. She caught Alex’s hand in hers, her thumb massaging Alex’s palm. “You have strong hands and you are good kneading dough.” She knew Maggie was ribbing her and she should react in kind, but Maggie cuddled up against her side and holding her hand was seriously interfering with her ability to concentrate. “Even chopping. You didn’t cut yourself once.”

“Uh huh.” Alex bumped her shoulder against Maggie’s, not sure if she should be happy that Maggie didn’t let go of her hand. If Maggie kept it up, Alex was going to melt into a puddl e on the deck. Or turn and give Maggie the kiss she wished they had shared under the mistletoe earlier. Something way more than a peck on the lips.

“You can really see the sky up here.” Maggie breathed in deeply. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it’s nice. I spent a lot of time out here, looking at the stars, when I was a kid.” Alex took a sip of her drink and glanced to the side. Maggie’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and a soft smile graced her lips. “Maggie—”

“Alex—”

They both laughed. “You first,” Alex said.

“No, you go ahead.”

“I just wanted to say thank you.” Alex turned so she was facing Maggie, and Maggie did the same, dropping Alex’s hand. “For coming with me. For being such a good sport about all this. I, ah, well, you know, things got a little awkward there after I, after, you know….” Alex scratched the back of her head and hoped the dark hid her blush. “And well, I never thanked you for working so hard to stay friends. Even though you had to stalk me at my sisters to do so.”

“I was detecting, not stalking,” Maggie laughed, and the light sound sent a flush through Alex. “There’s a difference.” Maggie tilted her chin up and searched Alex’s eyes, her gaze flitting to Alex’s lips for a brief second.

“Uh huh. But seriously, thank you. I’m glad we’re friends.”

“Yeah,” Maggie breathed. “Me too. And thank you. I haven’t done a holiday family thing in a while. I, um, used to bake with my grandmother for Christmas, and, I dunno, this was a nice reminder.”

“Yeah?” Alex asked softly as the night enveloped them. She leaned forward, drawn in by the light in Maggie’s eyes, before stopping herself. She had just given a long speech about being glad they were friends. The last thing she needed to do was complicate their relationship again.

“Yeah. Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime.”

A breeze stirred Maggie’s hair, and she shivered. Alex ran her hand along Maggie’s arm, feeling the goosebumps. “We should go inside. Get ready for bed.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

But once in the bedroom, Alex had a panic attack as Maggie unzipped her bag and pulled out a tank top and boxer shorts. Then she had another when Maggie came back in, dressed in said outfit, the muscles of her legs sculpted and smooth. She must run, Alex thought, trying desperately to keep her mind off the image of her fingers stroking the soft skin.

“I’m, I’m just going to…” Alex getured outside of the room and waved her pajamas in the air, sure that Maggie could see her blush.

Thankfully, Maggie was under the covers when she returned, and she climbed in on the other side, sticking as close to the edge as possible. Alex turned off the light and burrowed into the comforter and Maggie did the same. The thin light from the window left Maggie’s eyes in darkness, but Alex could see the gleam of her teeth as she smiled.

“Goodnight, Alex.”

“Goodnight, Maggie.”

***

Silky skin under her fingertips was like an extension of a favorite and frequent fantasy. It always started this way, Alex snuggled up against Maggie’s warmth under the comforter. The smell of her shampoo mingled with the ocean air as Alex breathed her in. Floating through the last remnants of her dream, Alex nuzzled in and brushed her lips against Maggie’s neck.

The tickle of soft hair against her cheek and a breeze across her face brought her fully awake, and her head shot up in terror as she gazed at a pair of amused dark eyes and a wicked smirk. “Morning, Danvers.”

Alex scrambled back to teeter on the edge, as far away from Maggie as she could without falling off the bed. “Oh, god, Maggie, I’m, I…” Mortified, her face burned. “I’m so sorry. I was dreaming…”

“Are you saying you were dreaming about me?” There was a teasing tone to Maggie’s voice, but it just deepened Alex’s shame.

“Oh, god.” Alex tried to turn in the bed and she unbalanced. She would have fallen if Maggie hadn’t caught her hips and pulled her back on the bed. She buried her face in her hands. “This is so humiliating,” she mumbled.

“Hey, shhh, it’s okay.” Maggie’s arm wrapped around her waist to keep Alex on the bed. “Look at me.”

Alex took her time before sliding her hands down and opening her eyes, afraid of the pity she would find in Maggie’s eyes. Whatever emotion she saw, it wasn’t pity. There was tenderness, shyness, and something that looked a little like fear.

Her gaze fixed on Alex’s lips before back to her eyes, and Maggie drew in a shaky breath. “Alex, I….”

“Girls? Are you awake?” Eliza’s words were punctuated by a sharp knock on the door. They jumped apart, and Alex pulled the comforter up to cover herself like she naked, earning her a soft chuckle from Maggie. “Kara called and they will be here in about an hour.”

“We’re getting up now, Mom,” Alex called before rolling over to face Maggie again. Eliza’s footsteps retreated and she let out a sigh. Alex wished she had the guts to ask Maggie what she had been about to say. Instead, she said, “I can get the first shower unless you want it?”

“You, ah, go ahead.”

“Okay.” Alex paused for moment, soaking up the sight of Maggie’s tousled hair.

“What?”

“You got some serious bedhead going on there, Sawyer.”

Her lips twisted into a pout. “You better go get your shower before I toss you out of this bed.”

“As if you could.” Alex rolled out quickly, though, in case Maggie tried to follow through with her threat. A pillow smacked her squarely in the face, and Alex giggled at Maggie’s impish grin. “You are lucky I don’t have time to retaliate,” she warned with an outstretched finger.

Maggie’s amused laugh followed her down the hall.

***

The house felt too small with Winn, Kara, and James there, especially when J’onn had decided to join them. Alex stood near the entrance of the living room, pretending to listen to Kara’s story about Winn and Mike’s night out drinking while trying to eavesdrop on the conversation between Maggie, Winn, and James. They seemed to be grilling her about police procedure, of all things.

Maggie met her eyes from across the room, her lips quirking into a small grin before she returned her attention to Winn.

“So, how’s that going?” Kara noticed her preoccupation and pulled Alex into the hall, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“Well, mom thinks we’re dating.”

“No! Oh my god, Alex, what did you do?”

“Nothing yet. I just… didn’t want to deal with it, you know? She hasn’t told me I look tired or lectured me on taking care of you once since we’ve been here.”

“And is, I mean, is Maggie okay with that?”

“She understands. She’s…” Alex sighed. “She’s just so nice, and I like her so much. I wish…”

Kara rubbed her hand up and down Alex’s arm. “I know. Me too.”

Alex finished her drink and gestured toward bar set up in the corner. “I’m going to get a little more.”

“Okay.” Kara went over to join the group on the couch as Alex poured another finger of bourbon, ignoring her mom’s look of disapproval. She wandered over by the fireplace, suddenly feeling alone and out of place.

“Ohhhhh! Look who’s under the mistletoe!” Winn’s singsong voice cut through the small talk, and Alex groaned. Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse...

Winn stood up and started across the room, his lips already puckering. Alex might have laughed at the comical expression on Kara’s face, but instead, she froze Winn in place with her best glare.

“Don’t even think about it,” Alex said.

Standing, Maggie smacked Winn in the gut, hard enough that he blew out a breath. “I got this.”

“Wha…”

Alex expected another peck, but Maggie had other plans. She slid her hands around Alex’s neck to wrap her fingers behind, her thumbs caressing Alex’s cheeks as she brought their lips together. Alex froze, her mind blank as Maggie kissed her, slowly, softly, but with a rising passion. Of their own accord, Alex’s hands caught Maggie’s shoulders and pulled her closer as their lips parted for a fraction of a second before coming together for a second kiss. Maggie tasted of whiskey and coffee, and Alex couldn’t get enough.

There might have been a third except for the excited squee of a little sister and the sound of her her mother’s voice. “Finally, a real kiss.” Eliza cleared her throat. “Why don’t we all adjourn to the kitchen and get some pie?”

Alex’s eyes fluttered open to find Maggie staring at her, her teeth worrying at her lower lip. “Was that okay?”

“More than okay,” Alex breathed, trying to control the happiness bubbling in her chest.

“I just outed you in front of your friends. And your boss.”

Alex toyed with Maggie’s curls, marveling at the softness. “I don’t care.” She caught Maggie’s face in her hands and drew her closer, kissing her a little more firmly. Maggie’s lips curled into a smile against hers, and she had to draw back just to see her dimples.

“Does this mean you, ah, like me?”

“Alex, I always liked you. I just got scared.” Her eyes shifted down and then back to Alex’s. “I don’t have the best track record, you know?”

“Me either. But I want to try, if you do.”

“Of course.”

Alex knew there was a goofy smile on her face, but she didn’t care. “So, ah, tonight, after we get back to the city, you want to come over and watch Netflix or something?”

“Danvers, are you asking me to Netflix and chill?”

“Yeah.” Alex narrowed her eyes, suspicious of Maggie’s grin. “Maybe. Wait, what does that mean?”

Maggie just laughed and started to join everyone in the kitchen while Alex pulled out her phone and searched for the term, her fingers fumbling as she typed. “Oh, shit, no, that’s not what I meant.” She dashed after Maggie only to skid to a stop as she realized what she was saying. She shrugged, trying to play it cool. “I mean, unless that’s something you want to do.”

Pausing in the doorway, Maggie shook her head and laughed again. She held out her hand, and Alex intertwined their fingers. She stared down at their joined hands, feeling that little flutter in her chest like the first time Maggie had taken her hand.

Leaning in, she pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Maggie’s mouth, just because she could. “Thank you. This is like the best present ever.”

Maggie smiled, wide but a little bashful. “You’re not going to go crazy on me, are you?”

“Probably,” Alex promised as she drew her in for another kiss.


End file.
